Strenuous Workouts Linked To Lower Sex Drives

Trending News: Your Workout Could Be Killing Your Sex Life

Long Story Short

Bad news for anyone smashing out bicep curls in the hope of a boost between the sheets. The harder you work out, the harder it is to get excited about sex. At least according to a new study...

Long Story

You might think sweaty gym shorts flung across your bedroom would be the only part of your exercise routine that could possibly hinder your sex life. But according to new research, men who have a strenuous exercise routine might have a lower libido than those who have lighter workouts. That’s right – toiling away in the weightroom might actually have the opposite of your desired intention.

More than 1,000 men, all relatively active, were asked questions about their sex lives, including how often they did it, and thought about it, as well as their exercise routines and their general health. The researchers also asked a group of male athletes these questions.

And the results were clear. Men who had light or moderate exercise routines were more likely to report having moderate or high sex drives, and those whose workouts were more prolonged or intense had lower libidos. The researchers controlled for age, so this wasn’t a factor in the study’s conclusions.

So if your exercise routine is particularly intense, or particularly prolonged, it could be having an effect in the bedroom.

The study, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, didn’t look into why this might be the case, but the researchers said physical fatigue and low testosterone levels were likely to play a part. Although, it’s not exactly difficult to imagine that completing a triathlon makes you more inclined to fall asleep than do anything else between the sheets

The researchers, from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, said doctors treating men for sexual disorders and infertility issues should consider their exercise routines as a potential underlying factor.

Go heavy and go home alone.

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But which is healthier – an intense workout in the gym or an intense workout in the bedroom?